The Future of MUST
In this year, the 38th anniversary of MUST’s founding, we live and serve in the present and reflect on the past with pride. We honor the commitment and sacrifices of the founder of MUST, Rev. Wayne Williams, the past board members, staff and thousands of volunteers who serve Christ by serving those living in poverty and homelessness in our community.
MUST helps approximately 29,200 people annually with emergency groceries, clothing, job assistance, rent/utility assistance and emergency/transitional housing, hot meals, groceries, and access to medical care. All of this is accomplished free of charge and without regard to income, race or religious beliefs.
Additional resources and facilities for the continuation and enhancement of its existing programs, as well as for innovation and creation of new programs, will allow MUST to continue to comprehensively equip families to assume more responsibility and independence, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty in the community. But the needs in our community are great, and are increasing daily, as the suffering continues in our very midst. The time has come for MUST to aspire to do more, and much more.
Please join us in the next important phase of our life and calling in this unique ministry of service to suffering families as we continue to live our mission.
The KSU Community Health Clinic at MUST Ministries
The KSU Community Health Clinic at MUST has been a collaborative initiative between MUST Ministries and Kennesaw State University’s WellStar College of Health and Human Services, Center for Community Health Care for more than 15 years.
It began in its current location in a single wide trailer co-located with the emergency night shelter on the MUST Ministries Elizabeth Inn Campus. The KSU Community Health Clinic provides a wide range of health and wellness services for men, women and children who are homeless, underserved and/or uninsured.
The Health Clinic services include: primary care, health education and promotion, disease prevention and early detection, treatment and management of chronic and episodic conditions, health counseling and specialty referrals to local providers. Examples of conditions treated at the clinic include asthma, high blood pressure, depression, ear infections, diabetes, respiratory infections, and other minor illnesses.
The health services are provided through volunteer efforts from the health care community and Kennesaw State University’s School of Nursing. In addition, the clinic provides an excellent practice site for student experiences and a site for volunteer clinical practice by faculty members from the School of Nursing.
Because of the significance of the clinic to the community and population served, MUST has designated 2,600 square feet in our new Marietta day services center specifically for the operation of the KSU Community Health Clinic. The cost to equip and complete the build out of the clinic is $800,000. The overall result of such an expansion will be the opportunity to provide more services to many individuals and families annually in the clinic. The present clinic is located in a trailer that only has space for one exam room, which limits the opportunity for providers to serve clients. With an increase to two exam rooms, a provider could be serving 25% more clients without increasing office staff. With three exam rooms, mental health counseling room, and health education room, additional providers could be serving clients – with present office staff – resulting in our serving at least 50% more clients.
The proposed expansion will include a total of 6 rooms that can be used as exam rooms. Thus, this facility expansion will extend the breadth and depth of the services we provide. For example, a mental health specialist could see clients at the same time as the nurse practitioner is seeing clients with diabetes, or women’s health needs. The present trailer does not have the rooms to accommodate more than one provider at a time, so services remain limited. This expansion will provide the opportunity to serve more of the client’s needs, and more clients.
We're getting close to our goal!
John Moeller
MUST's Executive Director
Kim Gresh
MUST's Capital Campaign Chair